Can opener



y 1955 K. F. MILLER ETAL 2,712,176

CAN OPENER Filed Sept. 5, 1954 INVENTOR. Kenneth F. Miller By George Delaney United States Patent CAN OPENER Kenneth F. Miller and George Delaney, Palouse, Wash; said Miller assignor to said Delaney Application September 3, 1954, Serial No. 454,021

6 Claims. (Cl. 30-4) The present invention relates to can openers and more particularly to a solenoid actuated can opener.

One object of the invention lies in the provision of a solenoid actuated can opener which may be properly operated by means of one hand thus avoiding the necessity of using both hands to open a can as is presently paratively simple in construction, strong, durable, highly a elficient and reliable in use, compact and which may be manufactured at low cost.

All of the foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein a preferred form of the invention is shown. 'It should be understood however that the drawings and description are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the invention except insofar as it is limited by the claims.

In the drawing,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of an opener constructed in accordance with the present invention showing a can mounted thereon by broken lines;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross section taken at line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the opener;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view through the invention taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view similar to that of Figure 4 and showing a modified adaptor plate or disc.

Referring now to the drawing in detail it will be seen that the embodiment of the invention which has been illustrated comprises a metallic standard which when viewed in cross section (Figure 3) is substantially channel shaped and has outstanding flanges 10 on the free edges of the channel lips. This aflords a member using a minimum amount of material and yet provides sufiicient strength and rigidity for proper functioning of the invention.

Releasably fixed to the lower end of the standard 10 and disposed at right angles thereto we provide a supporting base 11 which consists of a horizontally disposed bottom plate 12 defined on three sides by an undulatory upstanding wall 13 drilled at the rear side to receive stub bolts 14 for releasably securing the base 11 to the standard 10. Figure 1 discloses by broken lines that the bottom 12 is formed with screw receiving openings 15 through which screws may be applied to anchor the can opener to a table or other supporting surface if desired.

At its upper end the standard 10 is provided with 2,712,176 Patented July 5, 1955 "ice spaced upper and lower transversely extending aligned holes adapted to receive clamping bolts 16-16 which are employed to secure a clamping band 17 to the standard 10. The clamping band 17 encircles the coil 18 of a conventional solenoid and is provided with an additional pair of clamping bolts 19 which extend through the cars 17 of the clamping band in advance of the front face of the standard It) and thus permit selective clamping pres sure to be applied to the solenoid coil 18 for purpose of vertically adjusting the coil Within the hand without loosening the band 17 from the standard 10.

It is obvious from a study of Figure 3 of the drawing that the solenoid coil 18 encircles a sleeve 20, angular in cross section, here shown to be square, which is preferably formed from a nonmagnetic material such as copp r or brass and is adapted to receive the cross sectionally angular plunger 21 for nonrotatable reciprocal movement therein. The plunger is formed, in the present disclosure, square in cross section to agree with the sleeve 20 and consists of the conventional nonmagnetic lower end portion 21 and the magnetic upper end portion 21" as is conventional in solenoids of this type. The nonmagnetic portion 21 is normally disposed within the solenoid with the plunger in the raised position yieldably supported by means of a compression spring 22 disposed between the top face of the solenoid 18 and an outwardly disposed shoulder 23 formed on the upper end of the plunger 21.. Obviously electrical energization of the solenoid coil 18 will cause the magnetizable portion 21" to be drawn :inwardly into the coil thus forcing the lower end of the plunger downwardly.

The sleeve 20 is provided with an integral outstanding flange 24 at its lower end and also a flange 25 which is secured to its upper end in any suitablemanner after the sleeve is disposed within the coil 18. The lower flange 24 is provided with a number of vertically disposed internally threaded openings 26 which receive the studs 27 of depending fingers 28 and thereby rigidly fix the fingers to the flange 24.

At the lower end of the plunger 21 we provide an annular disc 29 which has a central recess 30 commensurate in plan shape and size with the angular shape of the plunger 21. The lower marginal end portion of the plunger 21 is disposed within the recess 30 and is anchored therein by means of a set bolt 32 which extends through the disc 29 and is threadedly engaged into an internally threaded opening 33 axially arranged in the lower end of the plunger 21. Axially aligned with the fingers 28, the disc 29 is provided with vertically disposed apertures 34 sufficiently enlarged over the size of the fingers 28 to freely pass the fingers therethrough .and when the plunger 21 is disposed in its raised position, as shown in Figure 4, the fingers 28 extend through the apertures 34 a distance below the bottom face 35 of the disc 29.

. An annular groove 36 is formed in the bottom face of the disc 29 outside of the apertures 34 and this groove is designed to receive the tangs 37 of a plurality of can opening blades 38.

As most conveniently discerned in Figure 4 the blades 38 are provided with angular sharpened cutting edges 39 which terminate downwardly in perforating points 40 each disposed in overlapped relation to a portion of the cutting edge 39 of a contiguous blade 38. It will thus be seen that as the cutter blades 38 are moved downwardly the cutting edge of a next adjacent blade 38 enters the portion punctured by the point 40 thus insuring that the complete top of the can will be severed and removed from the can. It has been found that the top, by friction, remains within the annular arranged blades 38 and must be removed by the fingers 28 upon upward movement of the disc 29. Obviously the annular cutting element formed by the plurality of blades 38 may be formed in a single blade if found desirable, but for convenience of sharpening and replacing broken blades we have found it desirable to provide a plurality of blades each of which is secured by a pair of set bolts 41 that extend radially through the peripheral edge of the disc 29 into the grooves 36 and impinge against the tang -37 of their rcspective blade 38, thus releasably securing them within the groove.

To permit one hand operation of the can opener we provide a finger actuated push button 42 on the standard 10 which is connected in series with the solenoid 18 in a conventional electrical circuit indicated by the numeral 43. When the can C is placed upon the supporting base 11 and properly positioned beneath the opening elements by the upstanding wall 13 and the abutment button 44, a finger of the hand holding the can may depress the button 42 to effect operation of the can opener.

In Figure 5 we have shown a modified form of disc 25 which omits the groove 36 and the apertures 34 and is provided with a vertically disposed aperture 44 adapted to receive and secure a vent spout punch 45. Diametrically opposed to the punch 45 is a hollow pouring spout punch 46 having an angled cutting face 47 so that a can may be simultaneously formed with a vent and pouring spout upon operation of the can opener.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. A can opener comprising a vertically reciprocal solenoid actuable normally raised plunger angular in cross section; an angular sleeve reciprocally containing said plunger for precluding axial rotation thereof and having an outstanding flange at its lower end; a solenoid coil encircling said sleeve for actuating said plunger; a horizontally disposed annular disc carried by said plunger at its lower end; said disc having an annular groove in its lower face for receiving the tangs of cutting blades and a number of apertures vertically disposed in said disc within said groove; depending fingers carried by said flange and commensurate in number with said apertures and axially aligned therewith for movement therethrough,

whereby a can lid may be ejected from said opener; a

plurality of cutting blades having tangs disposed in said groove and downwardly angled cutting edges having points overlapping the adjacent edges of contiguous blades; a plurality of radially disposed set bolts threadedly extending through the peripheral face of said disc and into said groove and releasably securing the blades therein; a standard supporting said can opener; and a can supporting base for positioning a can under said disc to be opened by said blades upon actuation of said solenoid. 2. A can opener comprising a vertically reciprocal solenoid actuated normally raised plunger angular in cross section; an angular tubular guide reciprocally containing said plunger and having an outstanding flange at its lower end; a horizontally disposed annular disc carried by said plunger at its lower end, said disc having an annular groove in its lower face for receiving the tangs of cutting blades and at least one aperture in the disc and within said groove; depending fingers commensurate in number with said apertures carried by said flange and axially aligned to extend through and beyond said apertures when said disc and plunger are in the raised position, for ejecting a lid from the opener; a plurality of cutting blades having tangs disposed in said groove; downwardly angled cutting edges on the blades and having points overlapping the adjacent edges of contiguous blades; and means releasably securing the blades in said groove.

3. A can opener comprising a vertically reciprocal solenoid actuated normally raised plunger angular in cross section; an angular sleeve reciprocally containing said plunger for precluding axial rotation thereof; a disc carrying depending can opening elements; said disc having in its upper face a recess identical in size and shape to the cross sectional configuration of said plunger and containing the lower marginal end of said plunger; and a set bolt threadedly engaged with said plunger and releasably uniting said disc and said plunger.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said angular sleeve has an outstanding flange at its lower end; said disc having an annular groove in its lower face for receiving the tangs of cutting blades and at least one aperture extending vertically through said disc within said groove; depending fingers commensurate in number with said apertures carried by said flange and axially aligned to extend through said apertures when said disc and plunger are in the raised position, for ejecting a lid from the opener; said can opening elements comprising a plurality of cutting blades having tangs disposed in saidgroove and downwardly angled cutting edges having points overlapping the adjacent edges of contiguous blades; and means releasably securing the blades in said groove.

5. A can opener comprising a vertically reciprocal solenoid actuated normally raised plunger; a horizontally disposed annular disc carried by said plunger at its lower end; said disc having an annular groove in its lower face for receiving the tangs of cutting blades; at least one cutting blade having a tang disposed in said groove and a plurality of downwardly angled cutting edges having points overlapping a portion of a contiguous edge; and means releasably securing the blade in said groove.

6. A can opener comprising a vertically reciprocal solenoid actuated normally raised plunger; a horizontally disposed annular disc carried by said plunger at its lower end; can opening elements carried by said disc and disposed downwardly to strike and open a can upon actuation of said plunger; and means releasably securing the elements and said disc.

No references cited. 

